


A Cup Of Coffee

by Simply_A_Cherry_Bomb



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Highschool, Coffee Shop, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of 127 tbh, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Non-Linear Narrative, Pining, Slight kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23127736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simply_A_Cherry_Bomb/pseuds/Simply_A_Cherry_Bomb
Summary: "Honestly, I can't believe I thought you were a nice person," Mark shook his head and spun around on his heels. Donghyuck remained stuck to the ground and he felt his stomach twist. Mark hated him.Alternatively : Donghyuck sits in a coffee shop and explains his sob story to a bunch of strangers
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 5
Kudos: 151





	A Cup Of Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what I wrote. This makes no sense. Half of the story is something and the other half is a mess so if yo using understand what's happening, well neither to I. Hope you enjoy it though lmao

"Okay, pick one," Yuta said as he held up a cup filled with straws. An unimpressed expression plastered his face as Taeil eyed the cup, bringing his shaky hand to it and he pushed a few out of the way, almost as if by doing that he'd get the longer straws. "Oh, come on! It's not that hard."

"Okay, okay," Taeil huffed before randomly pinching one of the straws and pulled it out, turning to Johnny as he did it and he hoped that it wasn't the shortest.

They were at Taeyong's cafe, a normal occurance for them ever since the cafe had been built and Taeyong had allowed them to loiter around in it. But one thing had finally caught their eyes. Amidst the crowd of noisy and busy people, there was a small boy, who had probably just finished high school, sitting on the couch (the one Taeil had personally chosen) huddled up in multiple layers. He had gloves on, fluffy socks, a large blanket and a hat to cover half of his head. He looked soft and cute, but also sad.

The boy had been visiting their cafe (they say their but it's honestly only Taeyong's) for the past week now, and they had no idea why he wore a frown on his face for the whole ten hours he spent there. He would arrive in the morning, as soon as Jaehyun would open up the cafe, and then leave in the night when Sicheng would be closing up. A laptop would be in his clutches and the boy would occasionally order a latte, sipping through it as slowly as he could. It would end up cold and they could all see the distaste on his face when he drank the latte, but the boy would pretend as if it was alright. 

"I'm safe," Taeil sighed out of relief once he realised that his straw was longer than Johnny's. "You're last."

Taeyong rolled his eyes, muttering a small, 'I do all the work here yet I'm also participating in this', before leaning forward and pulled out a straw. He pointed it to the rest of them and let out a quiet groan. The rest of the group cheered to themselves, glad that it wasn't them who had to talk to the boy — the straws was what decided it — and Taeyong shuffled away from them, mumbling some words of motivation to himself (since he wasn't exactly sure what he should say to someone when they looked sad).

"Hey," Taeyong said softly, a little surprised when the boy snapped his head up and stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No," The boy answered almost immediately, his mouth clearly betrayed his mind as he grimaced at the sudden confession. "I mean yes, sorry. Do I not look okay?"

"Uhm," Taeyong blinked at the question, not expecting one and had been still processing what the boy had previously said. He glanced over at his friends, who simply shrugged their shoulders before looking back down at the boy. "Yeah?"

"Shit," The boy cursed, running a hand through his hair and he leaned back on the couch, the blanket falling just below his waist and Taeyong only then realised that he was in his pyjamas. "Well, thanks for telling me."

The boy then pulled the blanket back to his chest and squeezed himself deeper into the couch, holding the laptop in one hand and tapped away. Even as Taeyong remained still in front of him, awkwardly standing by the couch, the boy seemed to forget about his presence and found something more interesting on the screen. Taeyong's eyes raised from the boy and he saw his friends holding their hands to their faces, clearly trying to muffle their laughs. With a huff, Taeyong bent down by the couch and gently pushed the laptop away.

"Why aren't you okay?" Taeyong asked, and the boy seems to be going through some inner conflict as they stared at each other. "You've been here for some time now...and you don't seem to be happy. What's wrong?"

"I'm that obvious, huh," The boy finally replied after a few moments of silence (which Taeyong was dreading since he could already hear the teasing he was going to get from Ten). The boy looked down and fiddled with his fingers as he muttered, "If I was this obvious, why didn't Mark catch onto it then?"

"Mark?" Taeyong echoed and he shifted on the floor, getting more comfortable as he realised the boy was going to start explaining his story.

"Mark Lee, my best friend," The expression on his face made it seem as if this person was someone special to him, but Taeyong chose to not comment on it, and only gestured for him to continue. "Uhm, I'm Donghyuck and...I feel awkward telling a stranger this."

"I'm Taeyong," He quickly answered, and took Donghyuck's hand in his own, shaking it a little before letting it drop back down. "Now we're no longer strangers."

Donghyuck had his head down for a few seconds, probably trying to process that a stranger was here to listen to him, and then raised it slowly, getting the words ready. With a cough, Donghyuck closed his laptop and put it to the side, making a side note to buy a case for it before turning his attention back to the blonde sitting beside the couch.

"Well, the reason I'm like this is because—"

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


Mark Lee was Donghyuck's best friend. They hadn't known each other since childhood, and neither had they been neighbours. They didn't have a flashing or cliche story on how they became like how they were now, it just sort of clicked. When Mark first arrived in Seoul, new to the people in the school, and still not perfectly fluent in the language, Donghyuck had been assigned to take care of him. And even then, a friendship didn't just randomly click between the two. Donghyuck had taken care of Mark, helped him to lessons, and then the second the older had gotten used to the routine, he nodded at him, pat his arms and then left the scene. 

For weeks Mark tried to come and sit by Donghyuck, knowing no one else in the school and still struggling with Korean from time to time. But the younger was adamant to not let the older sit with him at lunch, or play cards with him and his friends during break. Donghyuck's friends always questioned why he never allowed Mark to join them on their table, and he always answered with a, "We're a full group of six, we don't need another one".

Only once they reached their last year of high school did Donghyuck wave at Mark and tell him to sit with them. Mark, who had made his own small group of friends, had simply stared at his outstretched hand before walking towards it. When he reached the side of Donghyuck's table, the younger flashed him a large smile and offered for him and his friends to join them. Obviously, everyone was shocked by the sudden character development, but still nodded because who wouldn't want Mark Lee, the Canadian transfer student, to sit with them?

Throughout the year, Donghyuck began to open up to more friendships, and slowly, he started to invite Mark over to his house more often. Days were spent sprawled across Donghyuck's bed, watching YouTube videos on Mark's phone (because although Donghyuck had an iPhone which be claimed was the best, Mark had a bigger screen), and food was spread across the floor — they would pick it up whenever they would finally gain strength to move again. 

As forced as it seemed, to an outsider's eyes at least, their friendship was completely two-sided. At first, every time Donghyuck would call Mark over and tell him to eat lunch with him, people suspected that he was only doing that since the older had managed to gain popularity over the years. Then, once they saw how close the two had become over the span of just under two weeks, no one decided to question how strong or weak their friendship was.

"Donghyuck," Mark whined, kicking the blanket off himself and turned around in the bed. "I'm hungry! Can you get me some food, please?"

Donghyuck glued his eyes to the TV and refused to look to his side. He knew that if he was to do that, then he would end up locking eyes with a wide eyed Mark, who probably had a pout playing on his lips. Too dangerous.

"Donghyuck-ie," Mark tried again, bringing a hand to the younger's face and poked his finger into one of his cheeks, admiring his far he could push it in. He was always amused by the smallest things, and especially how Donghyuck cheeks were so chubby yet he was skinny as a stick. "Please get me food."

Donghyuck looked to his right and immediately regretted it. Mark had been staring right up at him with jutted lips and looked absolutely adorable. Unfair. 

"Fine! You big baby," Donghyuck cursed under his breath as he got up from the bed and dragged his body across the room.

As much as he loved cooking food, a hobby he picked up once his mum started disappearing more and more on work trips, when it came to Mark he would have to make sure it was perfect. Nothing less than perfect could ever be served to Mark. Never. 

Donghyuck walked into the kitchen with a yawn, Mark was trailing behind him, and he opened the fridge, ready to check what ingredients they had.

"Well," Donghyuck said as he stared into the empty fridge. "We got nothing."

"Let's go," Mark answered immediately, taking Donghyuck's hand in his own and tugged him towards the door. "We're going to go out and buy some things so that you can cook, okay?"

"Alright," Donghyuck groaned, quickly stuffing his feet in his shoes as Mark opened the door to the house. It closed behind them with a clink and they started making their journey to the nearest convenient store. Donghyuck tensed up every time his hand brushed against Mark's as they walked side by side down the streets.

"You know," Mark giggled to himself and nudged Donghyuck's elbow to get his attention. "We could've just ordered food at this rate."

"What? So you prefer takeaway rather than my homemade food?" Donghyuck dramatically threw his head back and held a hand to his chest, faking betrayal. "Fine then, Mark Lee, you can order takeaway whilst I eat my own food."

"No, no!" Mark cried out as Donghyuck ran ahead of him. "I want your food!"

  
  


-

  
  


"Well you guys seemed like pretty good friends," Taeyong tilted his head in confusion, not seeing as to where this story was going. Donghyuck rolled his eyes and nodded.

"I know, I said that in the beginning," Donghyuck folded his legs over another and then brought his coffee to his face, only then realising it was finished. "Ah...let me get some mo—"

"I'll get it for you," Doyoung interrupted him and snatched his cup out of his hands. "Just continue speaking."

Donghyuck stared up at him in confusion and then turned back to Taeyong, who was just as shocked. The two shared a look before glancing over to Taeyong's friends, who were all listening to the conversation. "Why don't you guys come here instead?" Taeyong called out, and the six sitting a few feet away jumped at the suggestion. They strode over to the sofa and joined the two. Doyoung shortly returned with a cup full of latte and collapsed besides Taeyong, eager to hear the rest of the story.

"So, although we were best friends, obviously—"

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Donghyuck realised he had a crush on Mark only a few weeks after he first spoke to him. Whenever he would glance over at the older, he would feel his chest contract and everything seemed brighter. As cheesy as it sounded, Donghyuck was whipped. He wanted to get to know Mark, become friends with Mark, perhaps be the one Mark relies on, but then he realised that he was too different and that they would have nothing to relate on. Mark had already started to form his own small group and Donghyuck decided to leave the older on his own. Mark clearly didn't need Donghyuck's friendship. He had many.

"Mark hyung is amazing," Jaemin said when they sat down together for lunch. Donghyuck and Mark hadn't become friends yet so they eyed Mark from across the hall, laughing when one of his friends — Yukhei, Donghyuck thinks is his name — told him a joke. "He's got an innocent and soft personality, pretty face and perfect grades. He's literally the best."

"Stop acting so in love, Renjun would get jealous," Donghyuck teased and Renjun kicked him from under the table. Jaemin raised his eyebrows at that but ended up not asking any questions. 

Donghyuck looked up from his food and watched as Mark's face crinkled up every time he laughed at a joke. He liked listening to Mark's laugh. It was sweet and quiet. He would always clap his hands gently and hold his head low to avoid laughing into someone's face. It was cute. Mark was cute. Donghyuck liked cute things.

Once Donghyuck had finally gotten over his small dilemma of having more than five friends (which was an excuse because he was just too scared to become Mark's friend), Donghyuck waved his hand at Mark and offered for him to join them. Even if Donghyuck couldn't date Mark, it wouldn't be so bad to admire him from a closer view rather than from across the hall.

There were times when Mark would catch Donghyuck staring, but all he did in response was smile sweetly and then turn away. Donghyuck would never catch the tint of red that was sprayed over his cheeks. 

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


"Okay...that's cute?" Taeil blinked at Donghyuck and then glanced at the others. "This sounds more like your love story rather than sob story." 

"I haven't even reached that part yet," Donghyuck sighed and sipped on his coffee. Johnny reached over and hit Taeil's arm.

"Let the kid finish his story," Johnny grumbled before turning to Donghyuck. "Continue."

"Okay well, uhm…" Donghyuck scratched his head and took a deep breath. The others exchanged looks and understood what this meant. "Somewhere around the middle of our school year...Mark hyung got a girlfriend."

  
  


-

  
  


Mark got a girlfriend and it spread faster than any other rumour did. By the time he accepted the girls confession and they embraced — awkwardly — half the school already knew, and that might've been because this happened on a football pitch, in the middle of a p.e lesson, but who's to say it wasn't because of Marks popularity.

When Donghyuck found out, his heart was crushed. He didn't have any hope that he could ever date Mark, but the older had been sending him so many mixed signals. Mark had stopped pulling his arm away from Donghyuck all the time and resorted to simply allowing the younger to do as he wished. Mark had also joined in with the strange tradition Donghyuck was creating, which was to call each other right before sleeping. Donghyuck would always say 'goodnight, I love you', and Mark would reply with, 'Night, same to you'.

Now, if someone who didn't know that Mark was straight, would assume the two were in a relationship because of how close they were.

But now Mark had a girlfriend. He had a real girlfriend. It wasn't a joke or a prank. Mark was dating someone.

Donghyuck had taken it badly and ended up avoiding Mark, in hope that the older would forget his existence and happily be with his  _ girlfriend _ , but Mark was adamant on meeting Donghyuck.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked as he pushed open the door to Donghyuck's house. His mum was out and so Mark took the opportunity to barge in and solve their problem. "You've been ignoring me."

"Technically, no," Donghyuck pointed out. He wasn't ignoring Mark if Mark hadn't even made an attempt to reach out for him.

"Okay, look, I know why you're annoyed," Mark sighed and Donghyuck's eyes widened. He couldn't possibly know. Donghyuck hadn't told anyone, not even Jeno who teased him about Mark all the time. It was a secret Donghyuck was going to carry with him until his feelings drained out. 

"You do?" Donghyuck gulped and took a step back. Mark nodded before speaking up again.

"It's because I've not been hanging out with you recently, isn't it?" Mark said and Donghyuck let out the breath he was holding. "I'm sorry for that, it's just I've been busy. You know, I've got a girlfriend so now I want her to know that I enjoy spending time with her and actually like her."

"You don't have to prove your attraction," Donghyuck muttered and Mark managed to catch it.

"I kind of have to," Mark ran a hand down his face and then looked up at Donghyuck. "It's arranged."

"Wait what?" Donghyuck's jaw dropped. Mark didn't like her? Was there still a chance between them? 

"Yeah…" Mark groaned and dragged Donghyuck to the living room before jumping onto the sofa. "Rich parents, stupid business deals, arranged marriage. You know, the typical."

"Mark, we aren't in some rom-com or drama where you're being forced against your will," Donghyuck sat down beside him and tapped his arm. "You're going to be eighteen this year in just a few months. You can break the marriage as soon as that happens. No one can hold you down. And your parents are so nice, I'm sure they'll understand."

"Yeah but," Mark sat up and brushed his hair back. "The deal they secured is pretty good for the girl's family. If we help them and they get bigger then it would be beneficial for us alongside them."

"You guys have been successful for the past few years, I'm sure one business deal that could potentially ruin your future would be more deserving," Donghyuck shrugged his shoulders. 

"Donghyuck…" Mark pouted and then looked away. "I can't. My parents also had an arranged marriage. Plus, she's not a bad person, she's nice and pretty."

"So just because your potential wife is pretty and nice you're going to happily ruin the rest of your life?" Donghyuck shook his head in disapproval and he watched as Mark slouched further into his seat.

"I'm not ruining my life," Mark answered after a few seconds. Donghyuck looked at him with suspicion and he continued. "This girl already likes me...she told me that. So all I have to do is like her back. Shouldn't be so hard."

"You can't force yourself to like her," Donghyuck put his hand on Mark's shoulder and tried to reason with him. "You can't force feelings onto yourself. If you don't like her then you don't. Just say no to this."

"You're not helping, Donghyuck," Mark got up from his seat, his eyebrows furrowed and he had forgotten the reason as to why he had come to Donghyuck's house. "I thought you were gonna support me, but I guess not."

"I'm not gonna support you ruining your life, Mark," Donghyuck followed him, anxiety creeping in as Mark opened the door and looked over his shoulder. "You don't have to let your parents dictate your future, especially when everything CNA be fixed by a simple no."

"The world isn't as easy as you make it to be, Donghyuck."

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


"Did he then...stay with the girl?" Jaehyun coughed awkwardly and shifted on his seat. Donghyuck kept his head low and sniffled. Immediately, Yuta stood up from his seat and huddled up next to Donghyuck. He pat the younger's head and Donghyuck twirled the hem of his shirt. It felt weird trusting strangers but they seemed like good people. 

"I met up with the girl," Donghyuck started up again. The seven upon the floor and Yuta gave Donghyuck looks of concern and worry. 

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


"You're Donghyuck, right?" Yerim, the girl Mark was supposed to marry because of the deal his parents made, said sweetly. She had a soft smile over her face and gave Donghyuck the nicest look. Donghyuck found it hard to hate her.

"Yeah, and you're Yerim?" She nodded her head gently and then looked around in confusion.

"Are you here with Mark? Or are you looking for Mark?" Yerim asked him. Donghyuck hadn't formally spoken to her at all. She used to attend special classes because of how high her grades were. That resulted in her having a different timetable and was probably the reason Mark found their relationship for straining.

"I'm not here for Mark," Donghyuck answered and then checked to make sure the lunch hall was empty. "But I am here to talk about him."

"Oh?" Yerim giggled. "Are you going to share embarrassing stories of him? There's no need for that, he ended up telling me everything related to you."

"He did?" Donghyuck paused and Yerim nodded enthusiastically.

"Sometimes, I feel as though we're also friends because of how detailed Mark's description of your friendship is," Yerim continued and Donghyuck felt his heart clench. He had been avoiding Mark with the intention to forget about him whereas Mark had been spending his time narrating stories of him with Donghyuck.

"Yerim," Donghyuck swallowed back the bit of guilt and regret that was pouring into his body. "Mark doesn't like you. He hadn't and he won't in the future either."

Yerim, the poor girl, had the smile stuck on her face. She was staring at Donghyuck with warm eyes and had his cheeks pulled right up to the top. The smile slowly began to drop as she realised Donghyuck wasn't joking. He was telling the truth. Her eyes watered and they stung painfully. Yerim took deep breaths to try to calm herself down, but nothing seemed to work.

As if by coincidence, Mark happened to enter the lunch hall exactly as the first sob escaped Yerim's mouth.

"Yeri?" Mark hurriedly ran to her side and then sent Donghyuck a glare. "What did you say to her, Donghyuck?"

Before Donghyuck could reply, Yerim swatted Mark's arm away. She glared at both of them and shuffled out of her seat. "What the hell, Mark! You told me you liked me. If you didn't then you should've just told me the truth! This is so stupid."

Make froze on his spot and Yerim pushed past him. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor was heard before the door slammed close. Donghyuck let out a shaky breath as Mark turned to look at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "What the hell did you tell her?"

"I told her the truth," Donghyuck answered and he cursed himself. He had no idea why he spoke in such a sassy manner to Mark and immediately covered his mouth. Mark seemed to get even more pissed off by his answer and walked forwards. 

"And what was this truth that you told her, hm?" Mark smiled bitterly. "Mind sharing with me?"

"I told her," Donghyuck took a step back and felt his heart beat fasten. Mark wasn't the type to get angry quickly, then again his relationship with Yerim could cost him his future. "I told her that you didn't like her."

"Why would you lie to her?" Mark yelled and Donghyuck flinched at his tone. 

"Lie to her?" Donghyuck scoffed and got up from his seat. "What do you mean, lie to her? Do you really like her?"

"Yes! I like her!" Mark exclaimed and threw his arms up. Donghyuck's eyes widened and he inhaled a sharp breath. Mark opened his mouth and continued to ramble on about how disappointed he was in Donghyuck, but Donghyuck wasn't listening.

Mark liked Yerim. He really liked Yerim. How could Donghyuck have been so selfish? Of course, Mark would start liking Yerim. Donghyuck had only spoken to her for a few minutes and he was already ready to admit that she was cute. Mark liked someone else and it was finally 100% clear he felt nothing romantic towards Donghyuck.

"Honestly, I can't believe I thought you were a nice person," Mark shook his head and spun around on his heels. Donghyuck remained stuck to the ground and he felt his stomach twist. Mark hated him. 

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


"You can't be sure that he hates you yet," Sicheng said from the counter. The cafe was empty and so he could hear from the distance. "Unless he says it himself. Also, he said all of that in anger, I mean, after all, you did make him get in trouble by his parents which could result in him getting shamed by other people of the same class."

"I know," Donghyuck felt the regret and guilt stab him even harder in his heart. He knew he was wrong and what he had done was selfish, but he truly didn't know Mark liked Yerim, even in the slightest. 

"Have you two spoken since then?" Johnny asked and Donghyuck shook his head. Ever since that incident, Mark had ignored him every single day until graduation. Donghyuck would approach him to apologise and he would look the other day. He later found out that the engagement was broken but the deal still went on, as it caused benefits in both the families. It worked out in the end, but their friendship was still broken.

"You need to talk to him," Taeyong placed his hand over Donghyuck's knee and sent him a comforting look. "Only after talking to him can you come to conclusions. Right now, you don't know whether or not he really does like Yerim or if he said that in the moment."

"It's probably the first one," Donghyuck mumbled. Time had flown by quickly and so all of them got up to leave. They exchanged numbers with Donghyuck, since the kid seemed like a cool person to hang out with if he wasn't so hung up on Mark. "I'll see you guys later."

They all departed and Donghyuck took a long route back to his house. His mum was probably not home again, since work had been calling her out at odd times in the night. Donghyuck spent most of his days sulking in his room whilst studying, since nothing seemed fun anymore and Mark's absence made it more dreadful.

Donghyuck looked up from his feet and let out a soft groan once he realised where his feet had taken him by accident. He stood in front of Mark's house and took a deep breath. By doing this, Mark would be forced to open the door. In school, he was able to make excuses and leave immediately but now there was nowhere else to go.

Donghyuck knocked on the door and heard footsteps rushing to it. He held his breath as the door opened and revealed a confused Mark.

"Donghyuck?" Mark said in a questioning tone and then closed the door on his face. Donghyuck frowned and then knocked again. This time, the door didn't open.

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


"Keep trying," Doyoung advised him. "The more you visit the more he'll know that you care about your friendship."

"I agree, do that," Sicheng nodded along and Donghyuck hummed in agreement. He had told the guys at the café what had happened after he had left them. He told them about how Mark had completely shut him out without hesitation.

"Don't worry, kiddo," Yuta ruffled his hair, smiling at the way Donghyuck's fluffy hair bounced back. "It'll be alright."

"I hope so," Donghyuck sighed and then fell back onto the sofa. Since high school had ended and holidays had started, Donghyuck spent his time at cafe a lot more instead of meeting up with his friends. He was sure they had taken Mark's side when they sent him looks of disapproval. He had managed to make everyone dislike him.

  
  
  


On the way home, Donghyuck decided to take a detour and follow what Doyoung and Sicheng had told him to do. He stood in front of Mark's house again and then knocked on the door again. Mark yelled a response and hurried to the door. It swung open and within seconds slammed shut again. Donghyuck huffed in annoyance and knocked once again. Mark ignored it.

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Donghyuck had been knocking on Mark's door every day ever since then. He didn't want to annoy the older so he didn't continuously knock on it, however, he did stand in front of the building for a whole hour before leaving. It was tiring, Donghyuck's legs felt like jelly at the end of it, but it was for a good reason. Mark had started holding the door open for a while longer before closing it. Honestly, Donghyuck could very easily barge in and ask him for forgiveness, but he doesn't want to cross the limits. Especially not after what he did previously. 

It was a rainy day and Donghyuck was debating whether or not to stand outside of Mark's house. He didn't bring an umbrella, since the weather forecast had said it would be sunny with clouds, but there was no rain. Donghyuck ran through the rain and headed straight for Mark's door. He knocked on the door and got no reply. Mark had started doing that ever since he realised Donghyuck wasn't going to stop. 

The rain poured down on Donghyuck and he felt the tips of his fingers freezing up. The wind was blowing harder than it normally did on cold days and Donghyuck wondered if this was his punishment — his punishment for ruining his friendship with Mark. Donghyuck looked at the door once again and decided that if he truly wanted to show his friendship, then he might as well go all the way. Mark probably wanted to see how far Donghyuck would go. If he was to leave after a few minutes of standing under the rain, how weak could his friendship be? Guilt crept into Donghyuck and his toes curled. Stuffing his fingers into his pocket, Donghyuck stood outside Mark's house, breathing out huffs of steam.

About half an hour passed before Mark opened the door and dragged Donghyuck in. He pushed the younger into a chair and threw a towel over his head.

"Get yourself dry, I'll give you an umbrella and just go home," Mark spoke without sparing him another glance. 

"Mark hyung, I—" Donghyuck stood up but Mark simply looked even further away.

"I don't care. Hurry up and leave," Mark turned and walked away, leaving Donghyuck alone in the living room. Donghyuck glared down at his lap and left the towel wrapped around his neck. This was probably going to be the only time Mark let him into the house so he had to make it worth it. 

A few minutes passed and Mark returned to the room. "Why are you still here? Didn't I tell you to hurry up and leave?"

"Mark hyung," Donghyuck stood up from the seat, neatly placing the towel to the side and held his hands together. He bowed down and felt tears sting his eyes again. "I'm sorry for lying to Yerim, I really didn't know you liked her back. I was just trying to help but I've realised I was in the wrong. I'm really, really, really sorry."

Silence followed and Donghyuck's heart dropped. Had Mark really given up on their friendship? Donghyuck knew what he did was wrong and his apology was genuine, but did Mark not believe him? Maybe Mark didn't care about the apology — or even Donghyuck. He could feel his knees begin to weaken from the lack of response and his vision blurred. Mark hated him, Mark hated him, Mark hat—

"Don't bow down at me ever again," Mark's voice was soft and friendly, so Donghyuck straightened up and stared at him with a questioning look, hoping the older couldn't see his red eyes. Mark had been looking at him with an awkward smile. "Donghyuck...it's okay. I understand you meant well, just the way you did it…. anyways, I'm sorry as well. I shouldn't have pushed you away and not let you apologise."

"No, it's not your fault," Donghyuck hurried to dismiss, shaking his head with his hand. "I shouldn't have crossed the limit. You liked Yerim and I ruined everything between the two of you."

"Don't worry about that," Mark sighed and then held his arms out. "It's fine."

Donghyuck shuffled forwards to fit in Mark's arms. It felt nice to be back where he felt most comfortable.

"I feel as though I should be apologising more," Donghyuck said after a few seconds to hugging Mark. The older chuckled and Donghyuck could hear the vibration agsidnt his ear. 

"No need to. We've both apologised, it's okay now," Mark answered.

_ It's okay _ , Donghyuck thought.  _ It's okay _ .

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


Mark had invited Donghyuck to his house for a small hangout to catch up with everything they missed because of their argument. Donghyuck was over the moon when Mark suggested the idea and agreed the second he said it. The guys at the café pat his back with pride, happy that he managed to fix things between him and Mark.

Things still weren't back to how they used to be — but then again, would they ever go back to the way they were before? Mark was a little awkward with Donghyuck and it was clear he hadn't completely accepted Donghyuck's apology. Perhaps, the only reason he accepted in the first place was because Donghyuck bowed down in front of him and was on the verge of tears. 

"Have fun," Taeil cheered to him as he waved them goodbye. He clutched onto his bag straps and brought it closer to him. Mark had told him to come at 7pm and it was currently 6:45pm. Donghyuck smiled to himself and practically skipped his way to Mark's house. 

He knocked on the door and fought back the urge to just use the spare key he had and barge in. Donghyuck heard chatter and blinked in confusion. Mark had said that they would be alone but maybe he had called their friends as well? That would be strange. Donghyuck hadn't spoken to them even after apologising to Mark. It would be awkward if they were to meet at Mark's house.

A crash was heard before the door was opened. Donghyuck was about to smile at Mark when he realised it wasn't Mark who opened the doors 

Yerim stared back at him with wide eyes, panting as he tried to fix her hair. Donghyuck froze on the spot and took a shaky step back. From behind Yerim, Mark stumbled out, as disheveled as she was and looked from between the two. 

What was going on?

"Mark? Yerim?" Donghyuck's mind processed everything and it all led to one answer. Of course Mark would still be with Yerim. Just because Donghyuck had lied to her doesn't mean Make hadn't explained himself. The engagement must've ended so that the two could spend some time together. "Sorry— sorry for interrupting! Haha, I'll just— just leave."

Donghyuck spun around and jumped up from his spot. He ran down the street and could hear Mark calling him from afar but he couldn't focus on that. He should've known Mark wouldn't have broken up with Yerim. It was foolish of him to assume the two weren't together anymore. Donghyuck didn't understand why he had thought Mark would have moved on from her.

Selfish. It was another selfish thought. Donghyuck wanted Mark to be with him and so he had taken Yerim out of the picture. In reality, she had never left.

Donghyuck turned the corner for his road, taking in deep breaths as he made his way towards his house. He could no longer hear Mark’s voice behind him. 

“I guess it’s better like this,” Donghyuck chuckled to himself, pulling out his key and failed to unlock the door because of how shaky he was. “Mark hyung is happy with her and that’s all that matters.”

As much as Donghyuck wanted to go back and tell Yerim to leave so that he could spend more time with Mark, it was too selfish. Thinking more about it, Donghyuck realised selfish was a great word to describe him. He hadn't let Mark sit with him at lunch because he wanted to keep his five friends to himself. He had been selfish. Donghyuck had stopped others from getting too close with Mark because he habored feelings for the older. Again, it was selfish.

"Ah...I'm such a bad person," Donghyuck said as he threw his bag at the sofa across his living room and sighed again. His mum was out again — she probably wasn't even in the country — so he wasn't too worried about getting interrupted by her whilst he sulked. Donghyuck jumped onto the other side of the sofa and buried himself in the blankets thrown haphazardly. Jaemin's words echoed in Donghyuck’s head as he thought back to when his friends discovered what he had done to Yerim.

_ Stop being a coward and just tell Mark hyung you like him. _

If he had told Mark earlier that he had a crush on him — he couldn't possibly tell him that he was head over heels in love with him — he wouldn't have been in this position. Sure, Mark could've rejected him and they would've become really awkward, but anything would be better than what he had gone through.

The bell to his house rang and Donghyuck shut his eyes. Whoever it was could go away. Donghyuck was too exhausted to get up but the ringing continued until the person began to bang on the door.

“Okay, fine!” Donghyuck huffed out in defeat. “I’m coming, wait.”

He slowly pushed himself off the sofa bed and begrudgingly dragged his feet to the door. He held his head low as he opened the door, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't care about how horrible he looked.

“Donghyuck?” He snapped his head up with wide eyes to see Mark staring at him with the same amount of shock. “Why did you run away?”

“I didn’t want to ruin your moment,” Donghyuck gulped and wanted to move to the side to allow Mark to enter, because although it was summer, the breeze was freezing. 

“What moment?” Mark asked, putting a hand on Donghyuck's arm and gently pushed him aside to make enough space to step in. “You weren’t ruining anything, instead you were saving me.”

“Saving you?” Donghyuck raised an eyebrow and Mark leaned against the closed door. 

“Yerim has been asking her parents to fix the engagement," Mark explained. “Despite me telling her that I don't want to go ahead with it."

"Oh," Donghyuck nodded in understanding before he cleared his throat awkwardly. "So I really wasn't interrupting anything?"

"Yeah, you really weren't," Mark smiled at him warmly before his face morphed into confusion. "But I have a question, why did you get sad after seeing me with Yerim?"

"Sad? Haha, come on, Mark Lee, I wasn't sad," Donghyuck chuckled and hoped that by laughing he would be able to dismiss the question, but Mark continued staring at him with the same expression. 

"You looked sad," Mark commented and then took a step forward. "Were you perhaps upset that I was with her?"

"No," Donghyuck nervously answered and discreetly took a step back. "Anyways, now that you're here, let's watch a movie at my place then."

Donghyuck grabbed Mark's wrist and dragged him to the sofa, embarrassment filling him. So Mark wasn't in love with Yerim, and he wasn't dating her either. Only now did Donghyuck really understand why communication was key in a relationship — in this case a friendly one. A romantic relationship with Mark seemed to be more like a far away day dream rather than something in arms reach.

With a pout, Mark sat beside him and the two awkwardly drowned under the blanket, an odd space between them that didn't used to exist until then. Perhaps it was because of the recent events but Donghyuck's mood still dropped because of it. 

"Why are you so far away?" Mark asked after a while, looking away from the screen and stared at Donghyuck intently. "We don't normally sit with this much distance between us."

"Uh," Donghyuck coughed and then awkwardly shrugged. "You can come closer if you want."

"Alright," Mark raised his arm and wrapped it around Donghyuck's shoulders, pulling him closer and flushed their bodies together. Donghyuck's body heat up because of the intimacy and he hoped Mark couldn't feel his warmth through the thin layer of clothes between them. "Calm down, this isn't anything new."

"Shut up," Donghyuck grumbled and brought his hands to his face, covering his cheeks and nudged Mark to grab the remote on the table. "Put on a movie of your choice."

"I had snacks for us at my house," Mark stated as he surfed through the channels. "If you hadn't run away, we could've eaten all of that."

"Okay, okay. I shouldn't have run away," Donghyuck rolled his eyes and then folded his knees so that they were pressed against his chest. 

"Yeah, you shouldn't have," Mark turned his head to look down at Donghyuck and the younger felt himself flush even more. Sure, before when they hadn't had an argument, the two would sit closer than the limit most friends had and they would have no line between them, but it felt strange now. "Donghyuck."

"Yeah?" Donghyuck breathed out, feeling his chest tighten as Mark came closer to his face. 

"I have a question."

"What is it?" Donghyuck blinked rapidly and picked his lips unconsciously, only then realising how bad it could seem. 

"Donghyuck," Mark repeated and this time the younger tilted his head to look at him. "Do you perhaps...like me?"

The question echoed in Donghyuck's head as his eyes widened comically. How did Mark know? Donghyuck had kept it a secret for so long he was sure no one knew about it. Unless Mark had somehow managed to read his head and his feelings, or maybe he was too obvious. After all, Donghyuck did dash away from Mark's house with the most betrayed expression ever when he saw Yerim.

"Donghyuck," Mark shook him out of his daydream. "Come in, answer my question."

"Your question?" Donghyuck cleared his throat and laughed a little more harder than he normally did. It was oh-so obvious that it was fake laughter. "Yeah, I like you, Mark hyung. You  _ are _ my best friend."

"No I mean—" Mark was about to point out the very obvious tone he meant it in — Donghyuck already knew — before realisation dawned upon him. "Wait, did you just say that  _ I'm _ your best friend?"

"Who else would it be?" Donghyuck replied and then let out a silent sigh, thankful that Make had suddenly changed the subject and forgotten about what they had been discussing.

"I thought it was Jeno, since you guys have known each other since you were babies," Mark's frown only lasted a few moments before his lips spread out into a large smile. "Well I'm happy to be your best friend."

Donghyuck smiled back and then took the remote off him. "You're taking too long to pick."

"I take that back, being your best friend is troublesome," Mark grunted but allowed the younger to put on some sappy romance movie the two had watched multiple times — and no, Mark didn't want Donghyuck to know he actually did enjoy the movie.

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


"Donghyuck," Mark said softly, pressing his fingertips against Donghyuck's neck and gently shook him. "Hey, come on, wake up. Let's get you to bed."

"Carry me," Donghyuck whined and wrapped his arms around Mark. 

It was amusing as to how quickly the awkward and nervous tension that was between the two dissolved, but it did. Who knew a weird confrontation with Yerim, a small misunderstanding and a movie night could fix things into place. 

Donghyuck felt arms slide around his body and he got lifted off the sofa. The heartbeat in the chest on which his head was leaning on was fast and rapid. It was almost irritatingly quick. Donghyuck tilted his head up and brought a weak hand to poke Mark's cheek.

"Calm your heart down," Donghyuck ordered and Mark scoffed in return.

"You say that but then continue to pout at me," Mark mumbled and then closed the door to Donghyuck's bedroom with his foot.  _ That was hot _ , Donghyuck thought to himself. "Alright, get off me."

Mark shook Donghyuck's body off his arms but then the younger tugged him into bed with him. "Stay with me."

"I'll be in the living room on the sofa," Mark tried and attempted to pull his arms away but Donghyuck kept them caged between his hands.

"No," Donghyuck huffed and then intertwined their fingers, clasping it tightly and tucked in by his chest. "Stay here with me."

"Fine."

_ A second, two seconds, three seconds _ . Donghyuck found himself counting how much time was going past rather than sleeping. It was a small fear that was still inside his heart. Mark had left before he could leave again. Donghyuck hadn't even gotten the opportunity to apologise properly. Mark had forgiven him far too quickly — he shouldn't have, Donghyuck believed that he should've made him wait longer — and he was too kind for his own good. 

"Hey, Hyuck?" Mark whispered and Donghyuck raised his head slightly, enough so that he could see Mark's face. "Can I kiss you?"

Perhaps it was in the way Mark was looking at him, or because he was so tired and sleepy, or because he was being selfish again and all he wanted was for Mark's lips to be upon his, so he nodded slowly. Within seconds, another pair of lips were pressed against his, knocking out the breath he had in his lungs. His eyes fluttered close and hands automatically let go of Mark's, finding their way around the older's neck.

Donghyuck pulled Mark closer as he angled his head to the side to deepen the kiss. Donghyuck didn't know what this meant. Mark could be experimenting, or needed a kiss and Donghyuck was just there. The thought of being nothing but a replacement — or in this case, a sort of toy — made his heart drop but he chased after Mark's lips as they separated for some air.

It was way too desperate and eager for a first kiss, but Donghyuck had been waiting too long. He felt Mark's tongue cross over his bottom lip and immediately offered entrance. Mark's hands were all over his, running up and down beneath his shirt and the other caressing his hair. The contrast between the two motions made his body warm up even further until he could feel his clothes getting a little damp.

"Stop," Donghyuck panted as he pushed Mark away with a hand. Hearing that, Mark immediately moved away and gave the younger some space. Donghyuck kicked the blanket off the two and took deep breaths, trying to calm his ragged breathing. "What was that?"

"I like you," Mark suddenly said and Donghyuck's breath hitched (so much for trying to calm it down). "I like you a lot. Like a lot, lot. My feelings are probably a lot deeper than a crush but you don't need to feel pressured because of them. If you don't like me, it's understandable. I get it. It's fine. You can reje—"

"Mark hyung," Donghyuck put a finger to his mouth and shut him up before he could continue rambling. "Calm down. I'm not going to reject you." Mark looked up at him, confused. "I...I also like you a lot. A lot more than just a crush."

"Oh," Mark breathed out and it took a few seconds for him to process it. "Wait, you do?"

"Yeah," Donghyuck ran a hand down his face and then sat up from the bed, the sleep drained out of him through the kiss. "I'm gonna change, I'm too sweaty."

"Uh, okay," Mark shifted on the bed and sat up as Donghyuck strode across the room and took out a few of his clothes. "Can we...talk about this?"

Donghyuck quickly changed out of his shirt, not caring about the way Mark's eyes followed him through it all as he returned to the bed.

"Honestly, today has been a long enough day," Donghyuck placed a hand on Mark's cheek and then smiled. "Let's talk in the morning, please?"

Mark covered Donghyuck's hand with his own and smiled back. "Yeah, let's talk in the morning."

Donghyuck placed a chaste kiss on Mark's lips before collapsing onto the bed. "Come on, let's sleep."


End file.
